1990 Philadelphia Phillies

1990 Philadelphia Phillies / Franchise: Philadelphia Phillies / BR Team Page

Record: 77-85, Finished 4th in NL Eastern Division (1990 NL)

Managed by Nick Leyva

Coaches: Larry Bowa, Darold Knowles, Hal Lanier, Denis Menke, Mike Ryan and John Vukovich

Ballpark: Veterans Stadium

History, Comments, Contributions

The 1990 Philadelphia Phillies were a team without much power or speed or high average, starting pitching acumen or relief pitching prowess, but through grit and guile they managed to win 77 games and avoid a last-place finish.

On paper, the team had many respectable names. Former and future All-Stars abounded on offense: Darren Daulton, Tom Herr, Dickie Thon, John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra and Von Hayes all contributed as starting batsmen, while Dale Murphy, Dave Hollins, Mickey Morandini and Darrin Fletcher contributed in more limited offensive roles. All-Stars on the pitching staff included Terry Mulholland and Steve Ontiveros. But the team couldn't put it all together.

Dyktsra was the offensive star, hitting .325 with 192 hits, 33 stolen bases, 35 doubles, 106 runs scored and a .418 on-base percentage. Hayes paced the club with 17 home runs and finished second with 16 steals, while Kruk slashed .291/.386/.431 with a 126 OPS+. Youngsters Ron Jones and Wes Chamberlain offered some promise off the bench, with the former slashing .276/.373/.466 in 58 at-bats and the latter slashing .283/.298/.478 in 46 at-bats. Murphy, a veteran with Hall of Fame aspirations, was a relative non-factor, hitting .266/.328/.416 with 7 home runs and 28 RBI in 57 games after being acquired from the Atlanta Braves in August. If anything, the club's best offensive weapon was its ability to get on base. It's .337 team on-base percentage was third in the National League, and its 582 walks were first.

The pitching staff was youthful, with none of the six primary starters being over 30 and just one of the main relievers being that old, and just one other pitcher on the club that year being in his fourth decade of life. For a team laden with young talent, few of the hurlers did anything of real note in the majors - in 1990 or at all - with names like Pat Combs, Bruce Ruffin, Jose de Jesus, Ken Howell, Darrel Akerfelds and Don Carman having substantial roles on the team. In his first full season, Combs led the club with 10 wins and 183 1/3 innings pitched, while Mulholland had a 3.34 ERA and 6 complete games in 33 games (26 starts). 22-year-old Jason Grimsley offered hope with a 3-2, 3.30 line in 11 starts, while fellow youngster de Jesus did the same by winning 7 games and posting a 3.74 mark in 22 starts at 25 years old. Roger McDowell paced the bullpen with 22 saves and 72 appearances, while Joe Boever had a 2.15 mark in 34 games after arriving in July in a separate trade with the Braves. Control issues plagued the team, with the club surrendering the most walks (651) in the league. Grimsley was the youngest player on the team; at 34, Murphy was the oldest.

Little effort was made to improve the team following the campaign. The Phillies signed veterans Danny Cox, Wally Backman and Jim Lindeman in the offseason, but it was not enough to save the club from another losing record in 1991.

Awards and Honors

• All-Star: Lenny Dykstra